FAQ’s

application deadlines, application form

The entrance application must be submitted by 15th January each year for the summer semester (beginning on 1st April) and by 15th July for the winter semester (beginning on 1st October).

The exact dates might vary slightly from one university to the next. Please contact the Registrar's Office to find out exactly what the dates are.

As a rule, you can obtain the application forms from the university of your choice (via the International Office). In addition, the DAAD has placed the relevant application forms online for downloading here.

Service Centre for International Student Applications (uni-assist)

The application procedure for international students was altered on 1st May 2004. 50 German universities are members of ASSIST, a centralised application service which will save you time and money with your application. ASSIST will check that all necessary documents have been included and that they meet the necessary formal requirements, and will then forward them on to the respective universities.

ASSIST is a joint venture of the DAAD, the Conference of University Rectors and 50 German universities. If you wish to apply to one of those universities (click here to see a list), then you should do that through ASSIST. You can apply to several universities with only one set of documents through the Application Services for International Students (assist)

Link uni-assist english here

Admissions restrictions: local NC and Central University Admissions Service (Zentralstelle für die Vergabe von Studienplätzen – ZVS)

The subjects of medicine, pharmacy, psychology and dentistry are subject to a restriction clause of limited admission as they are overcrowded fields (Numerus Clausus NC). If you wish to apply to study one of these subjects, you must apply to the Central Office for Admission (ZVS). The ZVS also controls admission for some other subjects at colleges and universities in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. You can find information on the International Offices of the various German universities on the Internet pages of the Hochschulkompass or the DAAD.

Local NC: Besides nationwide admissions restrictions, there are also subjects with local admissions restrictions, i.e. where the admissions restriction only applies to individual higher education institutions and not to all institutions. These study places are awarded directly by the respective university. Please contact the International Office at your chosen institution to find out whether you need to send your application direct to the International Office, to the Student Registration Office (Studierendensekretariat) or to uni-assist.